“Gettysburg College Democrats (GCD) are excited to be working with the student population to engage and encourage as many people to vote as possible and to get everyone excited about being civically engaged,” said organization President Alisha LeVine in a recent interview.
“We’re about to do a big push on voter registration before the April primary elections and another big push in the fall semester before the general election,” she said. “GCD is a resource for students who want to learn more about current events and politics, and find community in other members of the college who have the same values.”
LeVine said that GCD is holding bi-weekly meetings to discuss current events and to keep students informed about relevant information such as reproductive rights and the current war in Gaza.
The group hopes to expand their audience by bringing in keynote speakers and hosting career chats.
LeVine said club representatives will be tabling in person on the main floor in the student union, sending out regular emails, and creating informational posters in hopes of reaching out to as many students as possible. “Face-to-face connections are important,” she said.
GCD is working with the Adams County Democratic Party (ACDC) to provide students with voter registration forms, QR codes, and regular emails. “The ACDC has been so supportive of us, and we would also like to offer them as much support as we can,” said LeVine.
In the 2022 midterm elections, club leaders succeeded in moving the Ward 1 poll location back to the college, a big step towards increasing accessibility.
Levine said current college students (Gen Z) are more politically involved than older recent generations. About eight million youth will be eligible to vote for the first time in 2024.
LeVine said the continuous threats on personal rights and freedom, such as reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, is an issue for Gen Z. “Republicans have been repeatedly trying to control women’s bodies for decades, and the voters are not here for it,” she said. “We want to see more protection of people’s reproductive rights.”
“The current genocide in Gaza, which is a hot-button topic right now, is playing a role in getting more voters involved in progressive politics,” said LeVine, “While Republicans fuelled by motives of misinformation want to prove that Biden lost the 2020 election, which is factually incorrect, Democrats are encouraged by the work of Bidenomics, which focuses on social and infrastructure spending.”
“GCD believes it’s important for young people to vote because our voices matter.” said LeVine. “Unfortunately, the turnout for voting is still relatively low in the age range of 18 to 24. Being intentional in encouraging students to vote is crucial. Our generation has changed the face of voting, and there is so much we can do with compelling actions.”
As Pennsylvania is a swing state where Democrats have had big wins in the last two elections, the club wants to use it to its advantage.
LeVine has a list of things she wishes to see reformed. “As a member of GenZ and now an upperclassman in college, there have been many issues I have been concerned with,” she said. “Despite the Supreme Court making it difficult, the Biden administration has worked on forgiving student loans and some of the first comprehensive gun control legislation through the Senate in decades. Topics of concern include but are not limited to increased school program funding, reformation in states where censorship is a recurring issue, and passing Voting Rights.”
Aahana Rajbhandari, intern, is a Sophomore at Gettysburg College from Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a Political Science major with a minor in English Writing. She works as a writer and co-editor for the Opinions section of the college newspaper, the Gettysburgian, and is a campus ambassador for the Women’s Network. Aahana is an avid reader and enjoys writing in her free time.